Thumbsucking is a very normal response to anxiety and stress and does not point to insecurity or emotional problems in your child. Most children give up thumbsucking by age four, when some children continue to suck their thumbs as a means of exerting independence. Aside from some minor problems with thumb and fingernail infections, the most damage from thumbsucking occurs to the teeth and jaw.

A well-known pediatrician recently stated on television that continued sucking of thumbs or fingers does not cause serious dental problems in children and is not cause for parental alarm. Wrong! In fact, prolonged thumb activity produces significant problems with chewing, speech, and facial appearance.

The pleasure in the habit is derived from the contact of skin of thumb with oral mucous membrane. Thumb sucking also creates an intense negative pressure in oral cavity/mouth which has detrimental effects on over all development of facial area and narrowing of dental arches. These effects can last life long because the cheek muscles become hyperactive due to over action. BUT  there is NO cause for worry, if the kid stops the habit before the age of 4-5 years.

Not all thumb sucking causes equal harm, three factors affect the outcome of damage. These are Duration, Intensity and Frequency of the habit. Higher the three, higher will be damage to teeth.

Effects on the jawbone

The more time a child sucks his thumb and the greater the sucking pressure, the more harm done to teeth and jaws. Day and night forceful thumbsucking makes front teeth move, and can even reshape the jaw bone. Upper front teeth flare out and tip upward while lower front teeth move inward. But, how can something as small as a child’s thumb or finger effectively move bone?

The reason that thumbs and fingers are effective tooth-movers and bone shapers is that the jaw bones of children under age eight are especially soft and malleable. Children have upper and lower jaws rich in blood supply and relatively low in mineral content, especially calcium. Unfortunately for children and parents, prolonged thumb or finger sucking easily deforms the bone surrounding upper and lower front teeth, producing a hole or gap when teeth are brought together known as an “open bite”.

If a child stops thumbsucking before loss of baby front teeth and permanent front tooth eruption, most or all harmful effects disappear within six months. However, if the habit persists through permanent front tooth eruption, there can be lasting damage: flared or protruded upper teeth, delayed eruption of upper or lower front teeth, and the aforementioned open bite. This can result in chewing difficulties, speech abnormalities, and an unattractive smile.

Do home remedies work?

Some parents try home remedies to break the habit. Some try placing gloves on their children before bedtime. Others paint thumbs and fingers with various foul-tasting substances, while still others wrap bandages around the offending digits. Yet all of these measures are typically easy to overcome and are usually unsuccessful, because thumbsucking is a deeply ingrained behavior.

You should repeatedly educate/motivate the kid that his face will look bad. The kid can also be asked to consciously suck thumb sitting in front of a mirror daily for few minutes, this is a biofeedback technique which has been found to be useful. It is very important not to get obsessed with this matter, overdoing also will hurt the kid, gentle and consistent approach is needed. It would be considered safe not to initiate any steps until 3 years. Once kid understands your obsession he can also use this as an ATTENTION drawing technique. It has been found that kids who are breast fed are less likely to take to thumb sucking.

The dental solution: a crib that’s not for sleeping

One answer to this parental dilemma is a simple device called a “crib.” Placed by a Pediatric Dentist or an Orthodontist on the child’s upper teeth, the crib usually stops the habit cold the first day of use.

The appliance’s technical name is a “fixed palatal crib,” and is a type of brace that sits full-time on the upper teeth and the roof of the mouth. The crib consists of semicircular stainless steel wires connected to supporting steel bands or rings. The half-circle of wires fits behind the child’s upper front teeth, barely visible in normal view. The bands are fastened to the upper molars. There are a number of different crib designs, all variations on the same theme.

The first step for parents is to make an appointment for their child with an pediatric dentist or orthodontist. At the initial visit, the doctor examines the child for problems with tooth position and bite. The teeth of confirmed thumbsuckers have the tell-tale pattern described above, and the doctor will ask about any habit history. With a diagnosis of intractable thumbsucking, the dentist will usually recommend a crib to eliminate the habit. A second appointment is then arranged, where clay impressions are made for plaster study models, together with facial and dental photographs and jaw x-rays.

At the third visit, the appliance is cemented. The child experiences soreness of upper back teeth for a few hours, and modified speech for one or two days. Instructions are given on avoiding gum chewing, hard and sticky candy, popcorn, peanuts and other brace-destroying foods. The patient is asked to not pull on the crib with fingers. Thorough toothbrushing after each meal is stressed to prevent food and plaque build-up and gum infections or cavities.

Once the crib is cemented, there is nothing to adjust and no moving or removable parts. It is one of the simplest, yet most effective orthodontic devices. Fearsome looking open bites, on the order of 8 to 10 millimeters, can close within a few months.

Effectiveness of the crib
Why is the crib so effective in stopping thumbsucking? Simply because it takes away the habit’s gratification. Crib wires prevent the thumb or finger from touching the gums behind the front teeth and on the palate (roof of the mouth), turning a pleasant experience into an unpleasant one. Deriving no satisfaction from the activity, the child has no incentive to continue.

Parents should know that the child with a newly placed crib will have a nonrestful first night’s sleep. A child who is accustomed to thumb-provided security will be very unhappy the first night or so. Be sure to offer lots of tender loving care, words of support, and congratulations so as to provide a smooth, nontraumatic transition.

After crib placement, the patient is checked in two to four weeks, and then seen every one to two months until the appliance is removed. These visits are short, and not painful. In cases where hard or sticky foods have loosened the bands, recementation may be necessary. Avoidance of the offending foods should eliminate this annoyance.

How long does it take?
Improvement in front tooth position is typically noted within two weeks after crib placement. It takes four to six months for the open bit to close and the front teeth to straighten. However, the brace is left on nine to 12 months, a sufficient time for the habit to be a distant memory and relapse potential minimal.

What is a good age to begin crib treatment? The ideal time is when upper front baby teeth become loose, just prior to eruption of adult or permanent front teeth. This usually occurs just before or after age six. Prompt thumb removal at this time allows permanent teeth to assume a much better position than waiting until their full eruption to break the habit.

Thumb, finger or blanket sucking may be noted in pre-teens, teen- agers and even adults. Despite the age differences, the initial orthodontic treatment is the same for all: placement of a crib to break the habit.

Dental health is certainly important to a child’s well-being. So is parental peace of mind. For the thumbsucking patient, the orthodontic crib provides the answer to both.

Orthodontists are dental specialists who, after graduating from dental school, must successfully complete a minimum of two to three additional years of residency.  Orthodontist’s devote their professional lives to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities.

Many parents aren’t aware that the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that all children have a check-up with an orthodontic specialist no later than age 7.  An orthodontist can spot subtle problems with emerging teeth and jaw growth, even while some baby teeth are still present.  A check-up can reveal any current needs for treatment, inform parents that treatment should be considered when the child is older, or provide the good news that treatment may not be needed.  More and more adults are also seeking treatment, with more than one million now in treatment across U.S. and Canada.  Healthy teeth can be moved at almost any age!

Tips to keep your teeth safe from decay and protect your braces:

• ·Avoid sticky situations with your braces.  Stay away from hard, sticky, crunchy or chewy candy and snacks.  These include caramel, licorice, taffy, sugary bubblegum, and jelly beans.  Also steer away from nuts, taco chips, and unpopped popcorn kernels.  If it is sticky, chewy, hard or crunchy, it is food that anyone wearing braces or retainers should avoid.  Eating the wrong kinds of food can bend and break braces, which might cause treatment to last longer than planned.

• ·Good alternatives for people with braces include soft chocolates, peanut butter cups or other melt-in-your-mouth varieties.  The AAO offers braces-friendly recipes on its web site, www.braces.org.

• ·If you consume sweets, do so in moderation.  Eating candy may increase the risk of tooth decay for people in general and certainly for orthodontic patients.

• ·Brushing and flossing are very important for the health of everyone’s teeth.  People with braces should be especially conscientious about brushing and flossing immediately after consuming sugary or starchy foods.

For more information on orthodontic treatment or to schedule your free exam, contact our office at (386) 439-5437, or visit our web site at www.littlesmilesfl.com.

When it comes to caring for an infant, most parents are well aware of the need for routine pediatrician visits as part of their baby’s healthcare regimen. What’s less well-recognized is the importance that early and regular dental care play. For optimal oral health, the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that dental visits begin within 6 month of the appearance of a child’s first tooth as an effective way to kick-start a lifelong program of preventing dental disease.  

Despite the fact that baby teeth are eventually replaced by permanent adult teeth, it’s important that they remain healthy and in place until they’re lost naturally since they serve several critical functions, including:

• Fostering good nutrition by permitting proper chewing;
• Aiding speech development;
• Helping permanent teeth by saving space for them; and
• Creating self-esteem – a healthy smile helps children feel good about how they look to others.

Decay-Fighting Tips

In addition to regular dental visits, there are many things parents can do to help their children prevent tooth decay:

• Brush your child’s gums twice a day with a soft cloth or baby toothbrush and water even before the first tooth appears.
• Talk to your pediatric dentist about your child’s fluoride needs. Infants require fluoride to help developing teeth grow strong, and children who primarily drink bottled water may not be getting the fluoride they need.
• If you must put your child to sleep with a bottle, use nothing but water – other beverages can damage teeth, leading to cavities.
• Never dip a pacifier into honey or anything sweet before giving it to a baby.
• The best times for your child to brush are after breakfast and before bed.
• Limit frequency of snacking, which can increase a child’s risk of developing cavities.
• Take good care of your own teeth. Studies show that babies and small children can “catch” cavity-causing bacteria from their parents.

Proper oral care is important in ensuring children enjoy overall good health. The AAPD encourages all caregivers to support proper oral care at home and to make sure all children see a pediatric dentist by their first birthday.

“It was a wise decision to start young,” said Czekajewski, whose family lives in the Lakeview section of Chicago. “Kids are not as self-conscious at this age.”

Braces used to be another miserable part of being a teenager, but now some kids, like Nadia, start and finish orthodontic treatment long before adolescence.

But despite the allure of getting it over with young, starting early is not right for every child. Experts say it strongly depends on the treatment required.

Some children who start early end up in a second phase of treatment, with braces into the early teenage years despite having started young, according to Dr. Flavio Uribe from the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine in Farmington, Conn.

“That’s one of the criticisms of early treatment: Kids in braces for a long time,” Uribe said. “It’s controversial.”

For children with Class II malocclusion, commonly referred to as an overbite or buck teeth, “there is no advantage to starting early,” according to Dr. William Proffit, a professor at the University of North Carolina’s School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill.

Proffit said that was the conclusion of “three major, randomized clinical trials comparing the outcomes of treatment” for younger versus older children.

“Early treatment is more costly both in terms of the amount of money you have to pay and the number of visits you make, and there is a greater burden of treatment with no benefit for most children,” he said.

‘Window of opportunity’
Proffit was the author of one of the three studies that looked at early treatment for Class II malocclusion, with the other two done by researchers at the University of Florida and in the United Kingdom.

But Proffit emphasized that early treatment is beneficial for other conditions, such as a Class III malocclusion, commonly referred to as an underbite, where the lower jaw is too big or the upper jaw is too small. “You’re trying to change growth and your window of opportunity has run out by age 10. The ideal time to start would be as early as age 7,” Proffit said.

The largest group of children getting orthodontic treatment in the U.S. are those with Class I malocclusion, with crowded teeth that are either crooked or protrude. For this group, Proffit said, “early treatment works, but you have to do two phases of treatment. So they’re going to be in treatment for four years — a first phase, then a vacation, and a second phase.”

Proffit said there is one overarching reason to start early no matter what type of treatment the child will need, and that’s when teeth are so crooked or unattractive that “the child is really being teased and harassed and has psychosocial problems,” he said. “Most preadolescent kids shrug it off, but some kids are really bothered by it.”

To read the compleate article, please vistit MSNBC